Analyst Upgrades

• Brinker (EAT) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Starbucks (SBUX) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Paccar (PCAR) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• CA Technologies (CA) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• PPL Corp. (PPL) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• ConocoPhillips (COP) to hold from sell at Citigroup.
• First Defiance (FDEF) to outperform from market perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• MasTec (MTZ) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Amdocs (DOX) to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CA, COP, DOX, EAT, FIG, JNS, MTN, NLSN, PCAR, SBUX, SLW ...

Analyst Calls: CA, COP, DOX, EAT, FIG, JNS, MTN, NLSN, PCAR, SBUX, SLW ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Advance Auto Parts (AAP) was upgraded to Perform from Underperform at Oppenheimer.
• Macquarie upgraded Gen-Probe (GPRO) and Beckman Coulter (BEC) to neutral from underperform.
• Tyco (TYC) was upgraded to neutral from reduce at Nomura.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded Cousins Properties (CUZ) to buy from underperform.
• Morgan Stanley upgraded Energy Conversion (ENER) to equal weight from underweight.
• Thermo Fisher (TMO) was upgraded to buy from hold at Auriga.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAP, DF, ENER, KEYW, LVS, NVS, SCHW, SLW, TYC ...

Analyst Calls: AAP, DF, ENER, KEYW, LVS, NVS, SCHW, SLW, TYC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Options Update: Market Vector Gold Miners Volatility Flat; Index at Record High on $1,400 Gold originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"We hear that gold is in a bubble, it can't rise much further and so on," content resource experts Mary Anne and Pamela Aden.

The co-editors of The Aden Forecast explain, "Many wonder, why is it even rising so much? For that, you have to look at history from a global perspective and it'll provide the answer.

"We've often pointed out that gold is money. It has been for thousands of years. Paper money is not really money and there isn't one paper currency that has survived over time.

Continue reading Gold: The Stages of a Mega-Bull Market

Gold: The Stages of a Mega-Bull Market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"With many stocks so clearly undervalued, we set ourselves the goal of finding some with the potential to double or better over the next 18 to 24 months," says Stephen Leeb.

The editor of The Complete Investor adds, "Two such gems are metals plays -- Silver Wheaton (SLW), a more conservative play in our growth portfolio, and NovaGold Resources (NG), a more speculative holding in our small-cap value portfolio.

"These two metal picks are both leveraged to precious metals, one to silver and one to gold.

Continue reading Silver Wheaton (SLW) and NovaGold (NR): 'Mining Gems'

Silver Wheaton (SLW) and NovaGold (NR): 'Mining Gems' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's been no shortage of new highs on the New York Stock Exchange lately -- but the thing is, very few of those new highs have been actual common stocks. Instead, a glut of preferred stocks and various fixed-income securities have been artificially inflating the annual-high figures on the Big Board.

Against this backdrop, it's even more impressive that Silver Wheaton (SLW) tapped the latest in a string of new annual highs today. The stock cruised up to $22.84 earlier, marking an all-time peak for the U.S.-traded shares of the Canadian commodity concern.

Continue reading How Long Can Silver Wheaton Keep Climbing?

How Long Can Silver Wheaton Keep Climbing? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Royalty Model Boosts Silver Wheaton (SLW)

Royalty Model Boosts Silver Wheaton (SLW) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading 'Ben Graham' Buys: Six-Pack of Foreign Value Stocks

'Ben Graham' Buys: Six-Pack of Foreign Value Stocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The editor of Insiders Plus explains, "First, we look at Pan American Silver; this is one the steadiest growers I've seen in any industry. It has more than tripled its silver production in the last 8 years. Its stock has trounced the S&P 500 over the last five, ten and twenty years.

Continue reading Mining for Value in Silver Sector

Mining for Value in Silver Sector originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In The Aden Forecast, the Aden sisters explain, "Gold and silver recently moved well into record high territory, and it looks like they are poised to head even higher.

"Most impressive, gold's leading indicator still has room to rise further before it reaches the high area. This tells us that gold's current C rise is very strong and it's now likely headed to our next target level near $1200. Meanwhile, December gold will remain super strong above $1,020.

Continue reading Gold and silver favorites from resource experts

Gold and silver favorites from resource experts originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Getting invested in precious metal for the long term is our end game," says Daniel Frishberg, host of BizRadio and editor of The MoneyMan.com Gold & Oil. Here's a look at two ETFs.

"It looks as if prices could go higher short term, especially if US dollar weakness continues. The risk of owning gold at today's price level is that net commercial short positions continue to increase.

"Attempts by producers and speculators to bid up prices are matched by increases in commercial short positions. Gold prices are being controlled not by physical buyers and sellers, but by futures traders.

Continue reading Precious metals: Time to 'get invested'

Precious metals: Time to 'get invested' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Oppenheimer upgraded Savient Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SVNT) to Perform from Underperform after the FDA's Arthritis Advisory Committee voted 14-1 in favor of approving Krystexxa for gout.
• Banc of America/Merrill upgraded Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) to Buy from Underperform and raised its target to $27 from $18 based on expectations that margin expansion will be higher than Street expectations.
• UBS said Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has limited downside risk given the improved outlook for the graphics processor market and professional solutions business. Shares were upgraded to Neutral from Sell and its target was raised to $11.50 from $8.
• BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Macquarie.
• Neutral Tandem (NASDAQ: TNDM) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
• Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ: CENT) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at SunTrust.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: COMS, GOLD, STT, SVNT, TXN

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: COMS, GOLD, STT, SVNT, TXN originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Silver Wheaton (SLW) slides as metals futures tumble originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This would seem to be a hard day to find stocks hitting new highs, but some industries produced winners.

Silver Wheaton Corp. (NYSE: SLW): It was a good day for metals stocks. This one ran up to $19.16 against a 52-week low of $8.83.

Southwestern Energy Company (NYSE: SWN): It was a good day for energy stocks. SWN moved higher to $58.63 from 52-week low of $31.14.

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE: BTU): This coal company traded up to $63.97 from 52-week low of $36.20.

Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA): This oil and natural gas operator hit $111.78 compared to 52-week low of $63.01.

Akeena Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKNS): This company licensed technology to Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd.(ADR) (NYSE: STP). It moved to $11.99 from 52-week low of $2.97.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

The 52-week high club originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For 25 years, Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, has surveyed the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is one of 100+ ideas in the Best Stocks for 2008 report.

"The commodity bull market has a long way to run," says Martin Weiss, editor of Money & Markets. "And while individual stocks are inherently more risky than funds, they also have more potential upside. And one area with a lot of upside potential is silver. As such, my top speculative pick for 2008 is Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW).

"Silver should ride a tidal wave of fundamentals higher in 2008. Above-ground stockpiles are getting very low, new mine production is lagging, industrial demand is surging and jewelry demand is growing in both China and India.

"And then there's the demand from silver exchange-traded funds, such as iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV), which held over 161 million ounces of silver as of December 7, and keeps growing. India doesn't have a silver ETF yet but should have one in 2008 -- that will bring more demand to bear on the market.

"Silver Wheaton gets 100% of its revenue from silver, and has outperformed both gold and silver this year. It purchases silver from operating mines at a set rate, less than $4 per ounce, insulating it from rising costs. Its production should come in at 13 million ounces in 2007 and rise to 25 million ounces by 2010. Finally, Silver Wheaton has 362.2 million ounces in proven and probable silver reserves.

"The stock isn't cheap, but it is outperforming both gold and silver. And I expect precious metals to head much higher in 2008. Overall, I consider this a red-hot silver play."

Best Stocks for 2008: Silver Wheaton (SLW) sees 'surging' demand originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 Dec 2007 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This article is part of a 20 article special report on "Metals, miners and money".

"Gold is a beneficiary of lower interest rates," says Daniel Frishberg, host of BizRadio and editor of The MoneyMan Gold & Oil Report.

He explains, "Gold has closed at his highest level in three decades. The precious metals market senses inflation is higher and economic growth slower than the official government numbers.

"With the price of oil at a record high and food inflation in a double digit zooming up, government statisticians will have us believe third quarter inflation was only 0.8%, the lowest level in 40 years.

"The gold market is not buying the government numbers. Regardless of what Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke says about containing inflationary pressures or what Treasury Secretary Paulson says about supporting a strong dollar policy, the U.S. dollar is being sacrificed to save the banking industry and prevent an economic slowdown and/or housing market collapse or even a recession.

Continue reading Top resource ideas: Frishberg's favorites in precious metals

Top resource ideas: Frishberg's favorites in precious metals originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 11 Nov 2007 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This article is part of a 20 article special report on "Metals, miners and money".

"Gold's recent move to a new highs clearly reinforces that the metal's six year bull market is alive and well," say leading resources experts Mary Anne and Pamela Aden.

In The Aden Forecast, the sisters -- who have accurately forecast the bull market since its start in 2001 -- explain why they believe this upmove is part of a mega-trend that will last for many years to come.

"As the dollar falls further, gold will continue to head higher. And the unprecedented trade deficit nearly guarantees that the dollar will continue to slide. Lower U.S. interest rates reinforce this as well, and again that'll be good for gold.

"Meanwhile, U.S. dependence on foreign oil and the record high oil price means the trade deficit is going to stay huge. It'll also contribute to inflation by keeping upward pressure on consumer prices.

"So in a way, it's a vicious circle that goes something like this: high oil = large trade deficits = a weak dollar and high inflation. Spending and money creation = inflation, which all = higher gold.

Continue reading Top resource ideas: Gold and silver from the Aden sisters

Top resource ideas: Gold and silver from the Aden sisters originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"This is a great time to be buying in the gold and silver area," says resources expert Adrian Day. In his Global Analyst newsletter, the money manager and advisor explains, "We are focusing on quality companies in the junior resource sector, following what is traditionally the weak summer period for gold prices."

One favorite of the advisor is Gold Fields (NYSE: GFI), which he notes has a strong balance sheet and long-term reserves. He points out that the stock has been held down as would-be acquirer Harmony sells shares.

In addition, he states, "Goldcorp (NYSE: GG) is one of the strong balance sheets, highest growth outlook, more favorable country risk profiles among the senior miners."

Among silver companies, he says, "Silver Standard Resources (NASDAQ: SSRI) has a strong balance sheet (even allowing for a problem in some commercial paper it holds) of C$242 million, including bullion.

Continue reading Adrian Day: Top buys in gold and silver

Adrian Day: Top buys in gold and silver originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Get ready for central banks to 'talk down' gold," cautions Eric Roseman in his Commodity Trend Alert who nevertheless remains bullish and offers a trio of favorites.

"Gold prices, in a secular long-term bull market since 2001, continue to impress even the greatest of skeptics," he says. Indeed, he adds, "You've got to be impressed with this price action lately, even as major economy central banks continue to sell their hoard."

The advisor points out that as major central bands sell gold, the emerging market central banks are buying. He explains, "That's the case with Russia, China, and several other countries over the last three years. If I was running a central bank, you can bet your last fiat dollar I'd be selling paper money for gold!"

The advisor forecasts that central banks will start "talking down" bullion very soon. He observes that that is what happened last June as gold prices blasted past $700 an ounce.

He says, "Pretty soon, we'll hear statements like 'inflation is too high, rates have to rise,' or 'wage inflation threatens growth.' Whatever it is, central banks will try to smash the gold price lower once again."

As a result, he expects the metals prices to be "bumpy" on their way to higher levels. Indeed, his forecast calls for a move above $850 by the end of 2008, "if not sooner."

As for specific stocks, he says, "Sometimes, you have to make big bets on great companies that are selling at major discounts to peers in the same industry." And within the metals sector, he feels that describes Goldcorp (NYSE: GG), Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM) and Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW).

He explains, "Now is the time to build on price weakness when the market is giving you these stocks, literally, for almost nothing. Based on assets, cash-flow and growing reserves, these three mining stocks are trading at a major discount to other premium-priced companies in the same industry."

Overall, he concludes, "We've got some monumental gains coming our way for the precious metals. Make sure you own some of the best and largest names in the business at these distressed prices ahead of next historical rally."

Metals trio for 'monumental' gains originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.